{"id":3931,"date":"2026-06-08T07:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/?p=3931"},"modified":"2026-06-08T07:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:43:52","slug":"ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2026\/06\/08\/ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"CEO &#8211; An excerpt from my new novel Circus Tent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H32R44ZN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Circus Tent<\/a> is a series of short stories and rock and roll vignettes about Skye Wright&#8217;s band The Dynamite Chicks going on a cross-country tour.<\/p>\n<p>In this story, Annie, Skye&#8217;s lead guitarist, does her damndest to be a bad influence.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H32R44ZN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jephmat-media-reduced.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   <strong>CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie found Skye slumped on a couch in the hotel lobby, looking at her phone with glassy eyes. Annie had just gotten out of the van with her backpack and carry-on.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie thought Skye looked as if she were melting. \u201cWhat up boss?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOur rooms aren\u2019t ready yet,\u201d said Skye, not looking away from her phone. \u201cWe got here too early.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSpacin\u2019 out on TikToks?\u201d asked Annie as she flopped her thin frame down on the couch.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNaw. Looking at the Butt Fork admin page.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie looked around the lobby. She saw Colleen at the registration desk, talking to a desk agent. Annie thought Colleen looked as if she had lost weight, even though they had just started the tour, and Colleen did not have a lot of weight to lose.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie looked through the small crowd of tourists and business suits, trying to see who she could spot, given that the various members of the entourage ran off in different directions once they got there, like school children let loose from a school bus.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She finally spotted Molly and Roach, standing around and talking to each other just outside of the hotel doors. She spotted Sussy\u2019s bobbed black hair, as she was sitting on another hotel couch, looking through her phone.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She lost sight of Collen, just when it occurred to her that she had not been looking out for Svenja, or Gitta, or the other member of The Jolly Sturms whose name she had embarrassingly forgotten.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie leaned towards Skye, who was still intently staring at her phone. \u201cWhat th&#8217; fuck you doin&#8217; now?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cThere&#8217;s a dip in the Sturms overseas sales. Trying to figure out what that&#8217;s about.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cJesus Skye, give it a rest. Let the Vulcan handle all that shit. We should go out an&#8217; look aroun\u2019, find out what this town has to offer.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye did not react as she kept her eyes on her phone. Annie sat back and looked out over the hotel lobby, resuming her people watching.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She saw tourists wearing khaki shorts and kitschy button up shirts. She saw business suits and pantsuits, sometimes casual, sometimes more buttoned-down and serious. She wondered how people could live such lives, spending all of their time trying to be as ordinary and conventional as possible, where they did everything they could to subvert their minds, their imaginations, and their very souls, in a lifeless and lifelong pursuit of constant conforming.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Annie nudged Skye.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cThe Broomsticks sales are way up,\u201d said Skye as she kept her eyes glued to her phone. \u201cBut that overseas dip with the Sturms\u2026\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie looked to the hotel desk. She caught the eye of one of the agents. Annie held up her hands.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNot quite yet,\u201d said the proper looking young woman at the registration desk as she held up a finger to indicate that it would still be a while.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDamn. Y\u2019think with the kinda cred we got now our rooms would be ready!\u201d yawped Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cShit, we haven\u2019t even released Gail\u2019s new album yet. Then we can get all the hookers we want.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOoh! I\u2019ve never hired a gigolo before!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye rolled her eyes as she put down her phone. \u201cYou sure about that?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSo how much is getting Gail and the Powder Snouts gonna affect us?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye\u2019s eyes fluttered as she sank deeper into the couch. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna need more office space, and soon. Probably a spot not too far from the studio.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNo shit? How about a storefront? That way we can sell junk to people who pass by.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cThat kinda idea has already been floated,\u201d said Skye as she struggled to sit up. \u201cOpen a store for the label and have the new office space in the back. I\u2019ve known dinky labels who have done that.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSee? You should put me in charge.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDoing gigolos in the backroom?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSure!\u201d brightened Annie. \u201cDo the rock star thing.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cJust boink a buncha groupies.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie waved a hand at Skye. \u201cNah. I need someone who knows what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye picked up her phone again and looked at it with her haggard eyes.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Annie saw Skye holding onto the phone as if it were a heavy weight.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Annie flashed back to the early days of The Dynamite Chicks, when they were playing punk dives as a group of drunks and speed freaks, getting loaded before their shows, making sure they were at least slightly tipsy, somewhat stoned, possibly wired, and on occasion all three before they hit the stage. The last thing on their minds were business details. They only worried about money back in those days when they slept in vans, all crowded into one motel room, and became surprised on those rare occasions when they were decently paid for their gigs.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   There was no looking at the big picture back in their club dive days. There was no intense scrutiny of details. They would go on the road without even a bass amp, asking other bands if they could use theirs, and sometimes having to end their sets early because someone broke a string and they didn\u2019t have any spares.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Not that they didn\u2019t have ideas about attaining some success. They would make flyers and sell their demo tapes in the hopes of attracting bigger crowds, but hopes and thoughts of far-flung success, of going viral, was only a thin concept in the back of their minds, always floating in the background like an afterthought. Annie thought back to those days, wondering if they did ever have any sense of making it out in the world, if they ever thought they would make a real splash like L7, or Bikini Kill, or maybe even reach Ramones level success.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She glanced at Skye, an old friend who had sworn off drugs and drink, at least as much as she could with her occasional relapses.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   And she could only marvel at how much she had changed.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie swatted at Skye\u2019s phone. \u201cPut that thing away and let\u2019s walk around, see what we can find.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHang on,\u201d said Skye as she tapped away at her phone.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie stood up. \u201cC&#8217;mon, ditch the Tandasil act and stop acting like such a boss.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI&#8217;m not acting,\u201d said Skye as she kept looking at her phone. \u201cI am the boss!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie let out a grunt as she grabbed Skye\u2019s phone. Skye wrestled with Annie for a minute.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cKnock it off!\u201d hissed Skye between her teeth. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna get us kicked outta here!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cCome on you lame-o,\u201d groused Annie. \u201cGet offa that couch! Tell the desk we\u2019re gonna go wander aroun\u2019.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOr what?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOr I\u2019ll kick your ass!\u201d smiled Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye put her phone away. \u201cFine,\u201d she said as she stood up. \u201cLet\u2019s go wander.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye sent Colleen a quick text after they ditched their luggage with the hotel&#8217;s bell service.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cGah!\u201d blorped Annie as they walked out onto the sunny street. \u201cNatural light!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhy do I get the feeling we\u2019re gonna get arrested for being drunk in public when we haven&#8217;t even been drinking?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWouldn\u2019t be the first time.\u201d Annie lifted her arm and stuck her nose in her armpit. \u201cEeyuh!\u201d she winced as she put her arm down. \u201cMan, I am ripe!\u2019<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOur hair looks like fright wigs, and we\u2019ve been wearing these clothes since last night.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDamn. We gotta find a punk bar and hit on some guys.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye winced at Annie. \u201cWhat the fuck are you talking about? We look like a couple of homeless serial killers.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI know! Those guys will be all over us.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye shook her head around and repeated her wince. \u201cYou\u2019re crazy. They\u2019ll run from us.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNo way. They love down in the dirt women. We\u2019ll be fighting them off.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI still say you\u2019re crazy.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   They walked around downtown, finding a lot of typical businesses for a large city center. They detoured down a few promising side streets, passing by liquor stores and a few working class restaurants before finding a casual cafe with artwork on the walls and a lot of patrons who looked like college students.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI need to eat something,\u201d said Skye as she detoured into the cafe.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie squinted at the menu board. \u201cI don\u2019t think they have any booze in this place.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cTie one on for the show?\u201d asked Skye as she waited for her onion bagel and cream cheese.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cMaybe there&#8217;s a scrub bar nearby.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSure. Maybe some of these youngins know where one is.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cPsh! You make us sound like a couple a\u2019 old hags.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe are a couple a\u2019 old hags.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   The short and chubby young woman with dark red dreads behind the counter started to hand Skye her bagel when she stopped. \u201cHey, aren\u2019t you in a band?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cJug band,\u201d said Skye as she took her bagel.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    \u201cI play the comb harmonica,\u201d said Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    Red dreads pointed at Annie. \u201cYou\u2019re in The Dynamite Chicks.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWho, me?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cAnd Screamology!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye tilted her head at Annie. \u201cShe\u2019s got ya there. If she knows the name of your ditchy side gig, she\u2019s down with the street.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie leaned on the counter and looked right at red dreads. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t happen to know where any punk bars are around here? Like a wannabe dive full of metal an\u2019 punk boys?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cOh. Lessee\u2026 There\u2019s Hunton\u2019s on MC Street. That\u2019s where a lotta people like us would be.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie brightened up. \u201cAwesome! That\u2019s where we\u2019re goin\u2019 then.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cYeah, there\u2019s probably not a lot of people there. They get most of their action at night.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie waved off red dreads and led Skye out of the cafe.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie took out her phone. \u201cIt\u2019s not too far from here. We can walk there.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDay drinking?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cJust a pint or two,\u201d said Annie as she kept navigating.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie quickened her pace as her phone guided her to Hunton\u2019s. Skye tried to keep pace at the same time as she observed the street scenes. She always liked to check out all of the little details of places that were new to her, especially the independent stores. She always admired the small things that made them unique, even the corner liquor stores that usually had some identifying marks, be it a small statue of Buddha or a string of paper four leaf clovers or sports paraphernalia.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She took note of an arts and crafts store that had macrame\u2019 dolls in the window, an ice cream store with discount cones that advertised itself with very amateurish hand-painted signs, and a fabric store with very old and classic sewing machines lined up in the window.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Down a long high street, they finally came up to Hunton\u2019s, which had an exterior that made it look like a biker bar. Skye knew it was a punk bikers bar when she saw a BSA and an old classic Triumph parked outside.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Inside, the place was wide and dark, with scattered tables and chairs. Industrial music was playing in the background. Skye was impressed by the interior artwork, a gallery of paintings displaying alternate visions of devils and angels as punks and goths.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   They saw a few bikers in their leathers, sitting in the back. Several other patrons who looked like working class civilians were sitting at a window table, drinking pints of lager.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie ordered a pint from the chubby-cheeked pink-haired punk behind the bar, while Skye got a bottle of soda.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cThis place is pretty dead,\u201d said Skye as they sat at a center table so they could check the place out.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cIt\u2019s fuckin\u2019 cool though. I\u2019d like to see this place when it\u2019s jumpin\u2019.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cIs there a stage in here? Maybe we can have an impromptu show.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie looked down at Skye\u2019s bottle of cola. \u201cY\u2019know, there are times I wish you still drinked.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSeriously? I was such a lush though.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYou were usually wired. Not so lushy as most of us.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye\u2019s cell phone buzzed and she glanced at it. \u201cYeah, I suppose so. After a while I only drank booze to take the edge off the speed.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cAh, the good ol\u2019 days!\u201d said Annie as she leaned back in her chair, holding up her pint as if she were giving a toast.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYou really wish I was still hitting\u2019 the booze?\u2019 asked Skye as she pocketed her cell.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWell,  maybe not like we used to. I kinda wish we could just have a couple a\u2019 beers now an\u2019 then, an\u2019 do that ridiculous stuff we used to, like make up fucked up pick up lines and actually try them out on some of the blockheads in the bar.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHell, we could still do that.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie made a face. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be the same without the lubrication.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDon\u2019\u2019t fuckin\u2019 tempt me. I done relapsed twice since I decided to get my shit together. I don\u2019t need to fall down that hell hole again.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cC\u2019mon Skye, you beat yourself up too much about that shit.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYeah, Lee already gave me that spiel. But I was lucky. The first time I tried to take myself out, and I failed. The second time I woke up in a jail cell. I don\u2019t wanna check out over somethin\u2019 stupid, or wake up and find out I really fucked someone up and am lookin\u2019 down the barrel of decades in state prison.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI think you\u2019re bein\u2019 a bit overdramatic.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cAm I?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYeah! How many times did you get wasted in the ol\u2019 days? You lost count, right?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe all lost count.&#8221;<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cAnd you\u2019re still here.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye narrowed her eyes at Annie. \u201cOnly by way of dumb luck.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie knew that she was there by way of dumb luck as well, as she thought about all of the people she knew who had checked out, and some who should\u2019ve checked out. She thought about Carl and Mirian, Cheshire and Harris, all of her friends who had died rock and roll deaths\u2026 going out on junk, getting wiped out in traffic accidents, or taking themselves out. She thought about the rest\u2026 the friends, the acquaintances, the club goers, and a few of her past lovers who had gone to the great beyond far too early.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Then there were the ones who missed the last ride, but probably shouldn\u2019t have. There was Katy, who was bound to a wheelchair after slamming her motorcycle into a wall. There was Blame, her old bass player when she was in a scrub band, who was currently facing a myriad of crippling health problems, no doubt because of all the over-the-top excess she engaged in when she was younger.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Her sight became dark when she thought about Debsie, her wild rock and roll friend, who went on a wild drug and drinking binge one night, only to black out and wake up in a jail cell, with no memory of what had happened the night before, and found out she had killed her boyfriend, an event her ruined memory was never able to recall.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She was due for parole in a few more years, and no other subject engendered such a split in the scene concerning the subject of Debsie. Some wanted to support her, and others wanted to shun her, as well as too many who had mixed feelings.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie snapped out of her train of thought when two young, gaunt men with chain necklaces and shredded band shirts walked in.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie quickly nudged Skye. \u201cLooky!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhat?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cThe crusties that just walked in.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye glanced at the two as they leaned on the bar. \u201cIf Discharge patches were people.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie squinted at the two young plank boys.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye knew what she was up to.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   As soon as they started walking away from the bar with their pints, Annie spoke up.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cM.U.D.!\u201d said Annie while pointing at the first Discharge patch.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhat?\u201d asked Discharge patch one as he stopped and gawked at Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYour patch. You listen to M.U.D.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Discharge patch one looked down at his jacket as if he had forgotten there were band patches on it.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYeah,\u201d he said blankly. \u201cGot it at Gilman when I saw them up there.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cThat sounds like a story. Why don\u2019tcha tell me about it?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye\u2019s skin bristled when Annie pushed out a chair with her foot. It took a moment for  Discharge patch one to realize she was inviting him to sit at their table.<br \/>\n   Discharge patch had slightly sunken cheeks, and Skye could not tell if his faraway look was the result of having gotten wasted or if it was his natural, dumbfounded look.<br \/>\n   His friend looked more like a normal guy, except for his spiked hair and patch vest. He had full cheeks and the kind of face that betrayed the coming of a goofy smile.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Discharge patch one sat down cautiously, as if he suspected he might be walking into a trap. Discharge patch two sat down right next to Annie, giving a nod and a smile as he set his pint of lager down.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYou like M.U.D.?\u201d asked Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI do,\u201d replied Annie, \u201cexcept Doug owes me a dollar.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cDoug?\u201d winced Discharge patch one in confusion.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cThe singer,\u201d said Discharge patch two.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhy does he owe you a dollar?\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Skye rolled her eyes at Annie.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cLong story,\u201d said Annie. \u201cAre you guys local?\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cYeah,\u201d said Discharge patch one as if he were unsure. \u201cAre you?\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Discharge patch two swatted his friend on the arm. \u201cThey\u2019re in The Dynamite Chicks you fool!\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cReally?\u201d blurted Discharge patch one as his eyes brightened up, finally showing a spark of unwraith-like life.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cYou guys are playin\u2019 tonight,\u201d remarked Discharge patch two.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe were thinking of mixing it up for this tour,\u201d said Skye.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cMixing it up?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWith the Sturms.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSwitch up the members, then we\u2019ll have The Dynamite Sturms and The Jolly Chicks.\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cThe Jolly Chicks sounds like a Sesame Street band,\u201d said Annie.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cWith actual chicks playin\u2019!\u201d said Discharge patch two.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cHow about we just mash up both bands?\u201d said Annie. \u201cThat way we don\u2019t have to be there as long.\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cThe Jolly Dynamite Chick Sturms?\u201d asked Skye.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhat the fuck is a sturm anyways?\u201d asked Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie tossed her head back in surprise. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I never asked!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cIt means storm,\u201d said Skye.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYou speak German?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cJa, ja! Kann ziemlich gut Deutsch.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSay something in German,\u201d asked Discharge patch two.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSomething in German.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNo, I mean, something in German, in German.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cEtwas auf Deutsch.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhat&#8217;s that mean?\u201d asked Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cSomething in German,\u201d smiled Skye.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHa ha,\u201d said Discharge patch two sarcastically.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cWho&#8217;s opening for you?\u201d asked Discharge one.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cSome band called Darling Fascist Bully Boy.\u201d<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  \u201cNo fuckin&#8217; way!\u201d blurted Discharge patch two.<br \/>\n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Annie sat back. \u201cWhy no way?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI used to be their drummer,\u201d said Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNo shit?\u201d said Skye. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Discharge patch one shrunk in his seat, looking embarrassed. \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 kind of a long story.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Discharge patch two nodded.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye took the opportunity to talk about music. She asked the Discharge patches about the bands they had been in, what kind of music they played, and what the local scene was like.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie kept asking them questions that irked Skye, such as what did they like to drink, if they had girlfriends, and what kind of pit injuries had they sustained lately.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   The jukebox music that had been continuously playing in the background came to a stop. The two Discharge patches excused themselves to refresh their pints.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie leaned into Skye. \u201cCome on girl, let&#8217;s take these guys somewhere and have some fun with \u2018em.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    Skye gave Annie a sour look. \u201cYou can\u2019t be serious.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI am! You can have the smart one.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye crossed her arms. \u201cIt\u2019s really sad that I know who you mean by \u2018the smart one.\u2019\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI ain\u2019t askin\u2019 ya\u2019 to get in a relationship with him, just take him somewhere and help him build a memory.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cUch. I don\u2019t think I could go through with it.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie leaned in towards Skye. \u201cI betcha he\u2019s never been with a woman who knows what she\u2019s doin\u2019. You could really rock his world!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cIt would be nice to find a guy who really knew what he was doin\u2019.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cC\u2019mon Skye, let\u2019s play with these dingbats!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye increased the intensity of her wince. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Annie, I just can\u2019t. I can\u2019t bear to seduce a dumbass.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSeriously? Cute and dumb aren\u2019t enough?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye shook her head. \u201cNo, not anymore.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cPsh! Since when did you get standards?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI\u2019ve been through too many dingbats. You just want something better after a while.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cBlug.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cIt\u2019s gotta be more than just looks.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Annie let out a long sigh. \u201cYeah, you\u2019re right.\u201d Annie narrowed her eyes at Skye. \u201cBut you\u2019re still an awful wingwoman.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cGuilty.\u201d Skye downed her cola. \u201cLet\u2019s get the fuck outta here.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   They started out.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cYou guys are comin\u2019 to see us tonight, right?\u201d asked Annie as they passed by the Discharge patches at the bar.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cNaw,\u201d drawled Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhy not? You don\u2019t like us?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe totally wanna fuckin\u2019 go,\u201d said Discharge patch two, \u201cbut we can\u2019t afford the tickets.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cAw man, that sucks.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe could probably afford to go if we didn\u2019t drink so much,\u201d smiled Discharge patch two as he held up a fresh pint.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye and Annie were just out the door, walking back to the hotel, when Skye stopped.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWhat?\u201d asked Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    Skye threw up her hands. \u201cFuck it!\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    She turned on her heel and made her way back into the bar. She found the Discharge patches looking over the bar\u2019s old juke box.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHey, gimme one a\u2019 your phone numbers,\u201d said Skye. \u201cI can get you into the show tonight.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Their faces lit up with surprise and delight.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cSeriously?\u201d blurted Discharge patch one.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cI hadda miss way too many cool shows when I was broke, back in the day. I know how it is.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   She got the number of Discharge patch two, whose name turned out to be Toby. She promised them Colleen would text them e-tickets.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   Skye and Annie exited the place once more, beaming in the total delight of the two crusties who were overjoyed with the invite.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cHave fun with \u2018em after the show?\u201d smiled a hopeful Annie.<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Circus Tent is available on Kindle and KU<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H32R44ZN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jephmat-media-reduced.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H32R44ZN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H32R44ZN<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the entire Skye Wright series below.<br \/>Just click on the pic for the series!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/book-series\/skye-wright-series\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/ebook_small.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/book-series\/skye-wright-series\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/book-series\/skye-wright-series\/<\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Circus Tent is a series of short stories and rock and roll vignettes about Skye Wright&#8217;s band The Dynamite Chicks going on a cross-country tour. In this story, Annie, Skye&#8217;s lead guitarist, does her damndest to be a bad influence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CEO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Annie found Skye slumped on a couch in the hotel lobby, looking &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CEO - An excerpt from my new novel Circus Tent - Terminal Berkeley Denizen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2026\/06\/08\/ceo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CEO - An excerpt from my new novel Circus Tent - Terminal Berkeley Denizen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Circus Tent is a series of short stories and rock and roll vignettes about Skye Wright&#8217;s band The Dynamite Chicks going on a cross-country tour. In this story, Annie, Skye&#8217;s lead guitarist, does her damndest to be a bad influence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CEO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Annie found Skye slumped on a couch in the hotel lobby, looking ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2026\/06\/08\/ceo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terminal Berkeley Denizen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T14:43:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jephmat-media-reduced.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"termberkden\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"termberkden\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2026\/06\/08\/ceo\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2026\/06\/08\/ceo\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"termberkden\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/#\/schema\/person\/92e1ac1fd2c726777a034d122a953b31\"},\"headline\":\"CEO &#8211; 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